


Deep Breaths

by Toothpaste_Fresh



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: (take a wild guess where this is going), Angst, Gen, POV Second Person, Spoilers for the final memory, told from Link's perspective
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-12-07 15:06:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18236552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toothpaste_Fresh/pseuds/Toothpaste_Fresh
Summary: The world is falling apart, but you'll make it through if you can just keep breathing.





	Deep Breaths

Breathe.

In and out and in and out. Your lungs are on fire, but you need to keep moving and you can’t stop now. You force yourself to keep going, to take just one step more and one step more. You can’t feel your legs but that’s a small price to pay. Something slips from your hand. It's Zelda. She is not a knight like you, she can’t keep up. She skids to a stop on the slick ground, sobbing.

Breathe.

You look back. You’ve stopped now too. You can feel your legs again and they burn, in desperate need for oxygen. Your chest heaves, you gulp down as much air as you can because you know you will need it again soon. She’s shaking, pressed into the wet mud, exhausted and shivering in the rain. She’s inconsolable. You would be too but now is not the time, there is no time. You need to focus, focus on the future now and the past later. There will be plenty of time for grief if you make it out of here.

“Breathe.”

You tell her this, you hold her shivering skin and shield it from the cold. She is so cold. That dress is doing nothing, and you wish you had something more to give her. You stand, and she does too. She is still shaking, but less so. She inhales deeply and you keep running forward.

Breathe.

Guardians have found you, scattering and surrounding you, so you steel yourself. You motion for Zelda to hide and then all eyes are on you. Their deadly focus pinpoints onto your chest. You drop, you duck, you swipe, you parry. They are slow to go down and quick to crawl over you, scorching beams blasting at every opportunity. The world has narrowed to just you and them. Heat singes your hair and claws rake across your chest. Sparks fly as you cut off their legs, as your sword scrapes their underbellies. There is pain, yes, and blood trickles down your arm, but you have no time for that now. You need to focus, these injuries can be cared for once you make it out of here, focus on getting out of here. Your thoughts are cut short as something explodes against your side.

Breathe.

The world is fading back in. You are burning, every sensation comes back to pain, you can't ignore it. It overwhelms your senses, just existing makes everything scream. Every breath hurts, then every breath gets a bit better. Somehow, the guardians have skittered away, and Zelda is above you, sobbing hopelessly again. You cannot move just yet, so you inhale and exhale slowly, because it’s the only thing you can do. You can tolerate it, so you decide to move. Because you are still on the clock, and there’s still so much to do if you want to make it out of here, you are still running out of time. You sit up-

-and nearly double over. Your aggravated injuries dislike every move you make. You can ignore them, you can get to your feet, and pull her along too. She protests, you are still hurt, but you do not have the energy to argue and neither does she. You don’t think you can run anymore, so you lean against her and walk instead.

Breathe.

You are almost through, past the dueling peaks when you hear the skittering again. Guardians. They are scattered through the burning fields in front of you, and crawling over the mountainside behind you. Your heart is dropping, the situation is worse than you would like. You pull out your sword regardless, because you have to fight. The princess is with you in the open and you must protect her at all costs. You run forward, pulling her along. Adrenaline is kicking in again and you feel the fight coming to you. She whips and whirls and dodges alongside you as you carve a path through those cursed machines.

Breathe.

You’re getting close now, but you can feel the exhaustion creeping in. Fort Hateno is in sight, if you could just get there, then you would be free to collaps-NO. You are getting distracted, your mind is caving into what your body wants and you will not let it. You will keep fighting. You cannot give it up just yet.

You fight, but now you’re fighting through your own exhaustion too. Your arms are too slow and your feet keep stumbling. Your hands are slick, coated with a sticky mixture of mud and sweat and blood. Zelda pushes against you, pushing you forward, but then a stray claw goes after her, so you push her away and it knocks you to the ground.

Breathe.

Your heading is spinning, your chest is heaving. Every part of you wants to give in, but you do not. The guardians are surrounding you, they are closing in. Zelda can see it, she is telling you to run, to let her be. You refuse, even if you wanted to you couldn't. The legend demands a hero and a princess, not one without the other. She must survive, you must too. Your legs tremble as you pull yourself up to stand and face your enemy. Your sword is shaky, waving back and forth as you try to keep it aimed at its target. You have so little energy left, this is all you can do.

There is a guardian in front of you, it is staring at you, you are staring back. You will yourself to move, to  _MOVE,_ to stop it, to stab it, to do _something_. Your feet stumble back instead and the ground spins again. You must keep going, the world still needs you. The beeping of the laser is getting louder and you are running out of time.

 

Zelda pushes you back. This is not what you wanted.

 

There is light.

 

The world slows and you fall down.

 

Breathe.

You are struggling now, fighting for each gasp. You haven't saved everyone yet, you need to keep fighting. The wind rushes past your ears. You can hardly feel the rain anymore. Somehow, Zelda is above you again, looking down with tears in her eyes. Focus on your breath, it's getting so hard. In and out and in- everything flickers for a second. You just need to hold on, but your eyelids are so heavy, and the world is so warm. Your lungs are still on fire, and you try to breathe. A last ditch effort to keep your chest rising dies in a cough instead. You lose your grip and slip away... 

 

 


End file.
